The formula worked well the first time I tried this. I'd like to thank everyone for reading this. I decided to do this on a whim to warm myself up for Wolverette. I just hope all of you enjoy it. This is an X-23 (Laura Kinney) x Spider-Man (Peter Parker) one-shot. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

"Ten Reasons Why"

Theme One – X-23

X-23 was the name given to her by the Facility, the same people who performed those heinous experiments on her body. She hated the name, and its association with death. It was the name of a murderous weapon, not a girl.

Peter never called her by that name.

Theme Two – Laura

Laura was the name given by her mother, the only person from the Facility who treated her decently. She loved hearing that name escape from her mouth so naturally. It was the name of a beautiful girl, not a weapon.

Peter always called her by that name.

Theme Three – Nickname

"Kin'?" Peter suggested with a grin.

"No," Laura bluntly replied.

"Shorty?" He nodded his head. She only shook hers in response. "Wolverine Jr.?" He said offhandedly, earning a low yet clear growl from the girl. "Wolverette!" He grinned, slamming his fist into his palm.

Folding her arms, Laura closed her eyes and exhaled. "You're an idiot."

"It's almost as cute as you!" Peter's smile only grew. "Wolverette it is!"

Laura grunted. It was pointless to even attempt an argument at this point.

Theme Four – Change

X-23 pulled her claws from the man's side, causing blood to fall and splash across the concrete. Spider-Man watched the event unfold from afar. He had been teaching Laura to practice some restraint against small time thugs, but it seemed to have been for naught, her years as an assassin making change impossible to achieve. However, the burglar's cries of anguish proved contrary to that belief.

"You crazy broad! That hurt!" he yelled, clutching at his side.

Sheathing her claws back into her knuckles, X-23 turned to Spider-Man and stood silent, awaiting his response to her action. Weakly and dumbly, he gave a hesitant thumbs up.

"A little excessive... but we're getting there."

Theme Five – Guilt

Everyone assumed they knew Spider-Man. In most eyes, he was a babbling idiot who never took anything seriously. Others saw him as one of the greatest heroes of all time, whose acts of selflessness could inspire the coldest of hearts, but Laura knew more about the man underneath the mask than anyone could hope to. She watched with a saddened gaze as Peter knelt before a grave, running his hand over the inscribed letters on the stone.

'Benjamin Parker.'

Peter was a man ridden with guilt, blaming himself for what happened to his uncle.

Laura sympathized and understood. After all, she was responsible for her mother's death.

Theme Six – Logan

It took Logan quite some time to get used to it. He sat with across the room with a beer in hand, his hardened gaze fixed on his surrogate 'daughter'. She stood against the wall, balancing a phone between her ear and shoulder. Known for her quiet demeanor, the idea of Laura talking casually on the phone seemed too surreal to believe. Granted, she only responded with simple answers, meaning the person on the other line did the majority of he talking, but Laura seemed perfectly fine with it, evident by the warm smile on her face.

He'd never admit it, but Logan was happy that Parker brought about this change.

Theme Seven – Wolverine

Snikt!

Wolverine snarled, holding his claws an inch from Spider-Man's face.

"Break her heart, and yer' mine. Got me, bub?"

Theme Eight – Scars

Laura sat upright on her bed with her knees pulled up to her breasts. Her emerald irises stared at nothing in particular, remaining in a glazed state. A strand of her raven locks fell between her eyes, but Laura had not noticed, her mind too centered on the images her nightmare left earlier. To this day, the experiments from the Facility continued to haunt Laura.

She clenched her fist, forcing her claws to be revealed. Her mind screamed, begging for the pain to stop. Physically, with a healing factor that rivaled Wolverine's, Laura could heal from the most devastating injuries. Unfortunately, it could not do the same for the mental damage Laura sustained, from the radiation poisoning, abuse from Kimura, or the image of her mother's blood on her hands.

Her claw neared the back of her hand. It was a horrendous habit, but Laura found cutting herself was an effective tactic to repel the visions. After all, she was made to withstand physical pain, and the scars always healed. However, before she could attempt such a thing, a hand reached out, grasping Laura's wrist. Peter woke from his slumber, evident by the bags formed under his hazel eyes, but he had enough wherewithal to shake his head disapprovingly at Laura. That same instance, Peter relinquished his grip and wrapped his arms around the girl's waist.

"You don't need to do that," he whispered, his hot breath brushing against her shoulder.

Laura remained silent as Peter's warmth spread through her body. Her mind grew fuzzy, causing the images from her nightmare to fade. As her claws slid back into her skin, Laura returned Peter's embrace in full and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest. His natural scent filled her senses, sending Laura's mind into an endless drift.

She nodded to herself. Peter was a better alternative to relieve her emotional stress.

Theme Nine – Helion

Laura placed her hand on Helion's arm. He had just kissed her, but Laura's complexion had not changed. She gently pushed the man away and sadly shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I just don't have feelings for you." Her hand fell over her chest, which ached immensely. "I love somebody else."

Theme Ten – Family

The holidays were never anything special for Laura in her early years. She had but one purpose, and that was to become the ultimate killing machine.

It was Christmas, and dinner had been served, the fresh scent of the roast spreading through the air. Peter and Logan mindlessly argued with each other, the latter threatening the other to drop the last piece of apple pie if he valued his life. May pulled a fresh pie from the oven, immediately ending the squabble between both men. Laura uncharacteristically giggled out loud.

Her holidays were sacred now. With Peter by her side, Laura had found a new purpose, and that was to protect her new family.